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Statement from SDSU President Barry Dunn on being named recipient of the prestigious Harold W. McGraw Jr. Higher Education Prize

Barry Dunn Head Shot

South Dakota State University President Barry Dunn was announced today as the recipient of the Harold W. McGraw Jr. Higher Education Prize for his work with the Wokini Initiative.

“I am extremely humbled and honored to receive this prestigious recognition and would like to thank the selection committee for choosing me,” Dunn said. “These types of recognitions do not represent the work of one individual, but rather the work of many. The Wokini Initiative is something that has deep meaning to me personally but would not be possible without the support and effort of hundreds of people throughout the state of South Dakota and the United States. I am grateful for their effort and belief that we are providing important opportunities for our American Indian students.

“There has been early success in building lasting change into South Dakota State University to better serve our Indigenous students, but we also recognize that there is still a great deal of work to be done,” Dunn added. “Education is the most powerful and transformative agent of change to improve our common good, and the support for the Wokini Initiative provides our students an opportunity to embrace their culture while working toward a future that positively impacts society. We will continue to provide those opportunities and open doors for hundreds of American Indian students in South Dakota.”

The Wokini Initiative was launched in 2016 during Dunn’s inaugural address with the purpose to better serve South Dakota’s tribal members by improving access to the benefits of higher education. The initiative works to increase collaboration and partnerships with tribes and tribal organizations; provide sustainable financial resources that include student scholarship; increase the American Indian student population on campus to mirror the population in the state; improve Indigenous student success through cultural awareness and build a new American Indian Student Center in the heart of campus.

Funding for the Wokini Initiative has come through private donations to the SDSU Foundation and revenue generated by land as part of the South Dakota Permanent Trust Fund. To date, more than $25 million in philanthropic gifts have been provided to Wokini and with Dunn’s advocacy, the U.S. Congress supported The New Beginning for Tribal Students grant program as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. The program appropriates $5 million annually among the 50 states in the U.S.

The private donations have included more than $9.8 million in endowments and a $4 million lead gift to build the American Indian Student Center in 2020. Additionally, the Wokini Initiative received grants from the Bush Foundation and the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropy.